Namibiaâ??s lack of defensive structure and Egyptâ??s greater physical strength led to Egyptâ??s 3-0 victory in their friendly soccer match in Aswan on Saturday evening, according to Namibian assistant coach Ronnie Kanalelo.
â??We started the match well, but after Egypt opened the scoring in the second half, we lost our defensive formation and gave the ball away too easily. The Egyptians were also physically stronger than our players and they dominated the second half,â? he said.
Reuters reported that Amr Zaki opened Egyptâ??s scoring in the 53rd minute when he netted after a back heel from Hosni Abd Rabou.
Veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan, winning his 130th cap, made it 2-0 before Zaki scored his second, and Egyptâ??s third goal with a far-post header two minutes from time.
The match was played in front of a packed stadium of about 15 000 people in the ancient Egyptian port city of Aswan.
â??Our defence gave the Egyptians too much space and were regularly caught out of position. We couldnâ??t get into the game in the second half and didnâ??t have any chances to speak of,â? he said.
According to Kanalelo, Namibia did well in the first half and created a few scoring chances. The best chance came when Rudolph Bester broke into Egyptâ??s penalty area, but Egyptâ??s goalkeeper brought off a fine save from close range.
Kanalelo said Egyptâ??s players were in better physical shape besides being stronger all round.
â??There players are in peak condition, while some of our players like Meraai Swartbooi, Letu Shatimuene and Quinton Jacobs have not played competitively since November when their leagues stopped,â? he said.
â??But itâ??s our job to get them in shape and we just have to tackle it,â? he said.
Despite the comprehensive defeat, Kanalelo said the team spirit was still strong.
â??The feeling amongst the players is not too bad and we are all satisfied with our first half performance,â? he said.
Kanalelo said that Collin Benjamin would join up with the team on January 9 before their next friendly against Senegal on January 12.
He added that Namibiaâ??s final squad for the African Cup of Nations finals would be announced shortly.
â??We have an idea about what the final squad will look like and should announce it soon,â? he said.